Queen Anne’s County is certainly a lucky place to live! The Maryland Lottery’s newest millionaire couple hail from this county, where a neighbor made Lottery headlines only days earlier. The millionaires arrived at Lottery headquarters Friday to claim the prize they won on a Lucky 7s Game Book scratch-off; their neighbor took home a $725,000 Multi-Match jackpot prize earlier in the week.

Mr. Millionaire is a federal employee and avid lottery player. He and his wife enjoy playing instant tickets so much that they’ve incorporated them into a board game they often play in their free time. On Monday, March 3, when snow kept them home from work, the couple brought out the board game along with scratch-offs set aside for the next round of play. The collection of instant tickets included several Lucky 7s Game Books.

“When it came time to scratch my ticket,” said Mrs. Millionaire, “I looked at it closely, wondering if what I was seeing could be real.” They sat in silence for several minutes, staring at the $1 million winning ticket in disbelief. They remained unconvinced of their win until they called Lottery headquarters in Baltimore to verify the win. “Between excitement and anxiety, sleeping that night was almost impossible,” she said.

The happy winners plan to pay their debts, contribute to several favorite charities and share their good fortune with their grown son and his family. A cruise is also in the works.

“What this really is to us is a gift – a gift of peace of mind,” said Mr. Millionaire, 63. Good fortune found them at the Broadneck Exxon at 317 Busch’s Frontage Road in Annapolis.

Lucky 7s Game Book is a unique collection of six scratch games in one booklet, launched in August of 2012. Two $1 million prizes remain in stores.

A part-time college student from Queen Anne’s County was so thrilled when she scratched her Maryland Lottery Lucky 7s Game Book scratch-off that she immediately texted her boyfriend: “I think I just won a lot of money!”

She nabbed the last $50,000 prize on the $20 instant ticket.

“Something like this is life-changing,” said the Chester resident, adding that she is still in disbelief. “Things like this don’t happen to people like me.”

Our lucky lady scratched the fateful ticket while she was watching television. She took her time uncovering the six tickets in the booklet-style scratch-off. The economics student initially thought she had won between $1,000 and $5,000 but, looking closer, saw the correct sum was $50,000. “It just doesn’t seem real yet,” said the happy winner.

She had taken a break from her college classes because of shrinking financial aid, college tuition increases and auto issues. Now, she can go back! The $50,000 prize makes those obstacles seem less overwhelming. “I want to use this to start building a life,” she said.

The lucky player purchased the winning ticket at the High’s #033 at 500 Abruzzi Drive in Chester.

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A fisherman from Adelphi reeled in the catch of a lifetime yesterday. What had originally started as a trip to make his daily Pick 3 and Pick 4 selections quickly turned into a $50,000 Lucky 7s Game Book win.

Accompanied by his wife and daughter, the man came into Lottery headquarters on Thursday to claim his big prize. “My dad was just going to play his numbers,” his daughter translated. “Something just told him that he should play the ticket.”

When he saw that one of the tickets in the book was a $50,000 winner, he immediately went home to share the good news with his wife. Together the couple celebrated quietly before breaking the news to their daughter.

They were then plagued with the decision of where to put the ticket overnight. “I put the ticket in my purse,” the winner’s wife said, patting her pocketbook. “It’s been here since last night.”

The lucky man plans to pay off his bills and take a trip to Ocean City, Md. He purchased his winning game book at the Golden Bull Restaurant located at 9107 Riggs Road in Adelphi.

Dunkirk resident Martin Stepney had been playing the Lottery’s Lucky 7s Game Book since it came out last summer. It quickly became his favorite game to play after several $500 wins. While Martin was very excited about those wins, they seem to pale in comparison to the $1 million top prize he claimed today, solidifying Lucky 7’s Gamebook as his all-time favorite scratch-off.

“I stopped in to my regular place yesterday to play a Pick 4 number when I suddenly remembered a dream I had last week about a huge Lottery win,” the single 49-year-old home improvement contractor told officials. Martin purchased his favorite instant game and sat down to play it in the store.
It was good Martin was sitting down; because he had quite the shock of his life once he began checking his ticket. “When I saw zero after zero after zero in the prize section I jumped up and ran to the counter to tell the cashier – I know the folks that run the place. Everyone in the store was celebrating with lots of hugs.”

Martin went immediately to his brother’s house to share the news. “He saw my face and figured something was wrong. I had to calm him down before I told him about the money,” he joked. “When I did, the hugs started again.”

Still shocked by such a big win, Martin has no immediate plans for his new fortune. “It’s too soon. In all the excitement I haven’t had time to think about what I might do.” That will change soon, no doubt. The million dollar winner was purchased from the Town Center Amoco at 10855 Town Center Boulevard in Dunkirk. Lucky 7s Game Book still has three more $1 million prizes available.

It’s something from a movie – someone has a dream, plays the Lottery and wins big. An Owings Mills couple recently visited Lottery headquarters with a Lucky 7s Game Book scratch-off ticket worth $1 million. The couple, a nurse and school teacher, still can’t believe their good fortune.

“I was getting carry-out for dinner and the store next door sold Lottery tickets. I was about to get a different ticket when I remembered something that my daughter had mentioned to me,” said the wife. “She said that she had a dream about me winning with the Game Book ticket.”

The woman told Lottery officials that she was skeptical about the Game Book since she usually didn’t buy scratch-offs, but was willing to give it a try. Later when she discovered that her daughter’s dream had become a reality, she was in complete shock. The family spent the rest of the evening trying to come to terms with the win and what it meant for the family.

As a result of the win, the family’s hefty college expenses are covered. Another result of the win? Their daughter now believes that she’s a physic. Good fortune found the couple at Sam’s Wine & Spirit at 11130 Reisterstown Road in Owings Mills.

The Lucky 7s Game Book consists of six $5 tickets for only $20. The scratch-off, which launched in late August, has four remaining top prizes as well as numerous other prizes, including $50,000, remaining.

An Odenton woman named Gwendolyn purchased a Lucky 7s Game Book months ago. The habitual scratch-off player checked her Game Book but didn’t think she had won. She then stuffed it into her purse without a second thought. It wasn’t until months later that she realized her old Game Book was worth $50,000.

The grandmother-of-four told Lottery officials that she puts everything in her purse and often surprises herself when she cleans it out. “I stuff everything in my purse,” Gwendolyn said as her husband nodded emphatically. “I had completely forgotten about the scratch-offs until I emptied my bag.”

When her oldest son saw the scratch-offs he asked if she had won anything. Gwendolyn told him she wasn’t sure but he could double check. Looking over the tickets, he saw that his mother had been carrying around a ticket worth $50,000 in her purse for several months.

Gwendolyn plans to continue playing scratch-offs with her husband and is looking forward to a nice holiday season with her family. The $50,000 winning Lucky 7s Game Book scratch-off was purchased at Krauszer Food Shop on 321 Stemmers Run Road in Baltimore.